Happy Saturday,
it’s me Waldi!
I have two great news for you today!
First, I’ve just launched my redesigned blog!
I’ve added a lot of new content including all of my articles, book notes, favorite resources and a lot more! Take a look!
Second, The Meaningful Mail has a brand new format!
Instead of just quotes and ideas, you’ll get 7 things that I found especially valuable each week. While you receive it on a Saturday, instead of Sunday today to coincide with the launch of the new blog design, you’ll receive it every Sunday from now on.
That’s all for now. Enjoy!
1. Buy Used Books to Save Money…
… and do something for the environment.
I’ve used to only buy new books. I’ve avoided used books out of fear of what disgusting thing a used book might have been through. This changed when I looked for the book Meaning of Life on Amazon. After discovering that it cost at least 80 € in Germany, I began to look for a used version instead. I’ve found one for 5 € on MediMops which is a german second-hand online bookstore and bought it. I was pleasantly surprised that the book was in very good condition and not disgusting at all. Since then I’ve ordered many more books from them and have been very satisfied ever since. It also goes well together with me trying to take more responsibility for how I can reduce the impact of what I do on the environment.
Buying used books has lessened my impact on the environment and significantly reduced how much money I spend on books each month. So, I recommend you give it a try as well!
2. Improve Your Knowledge Management with RoamResearch
I’ve given RoamResearch many tries in the past month but only recently invested substantial time in using it. I can tell you that it’s a very rewarding experience.
RoamResearch is “a note-taking tool for networked thought.” Its strength lies in bi-directional links which means that you do not use a hierarchical approach to note-taking - although you can - but that you can link from one page directly to another and back all without nested structures of categories, pages or folders. If you want to learn more about RoamResearch I recommend this video. It takes a bit of time to get used to but it’s one of the most powerful note-taking tools that I know.
3. Notes on “The One Thing” by Gary Keller
I’ve recently made it my goal to reread all of my favorite books and share my notes and a short summary on It’s Me Waldi.
Which book is better suited to kick this off than “The One Thing” by Gary Keller? Here’s my five sentence summary:
“What matters most is your ONE Thing. Use the Focusing Question to identify what is most important to you. From there, reverse-engineer what you have to do sequentially to make it real. Block a chunk of time that you protect relentlessly, maximize your productivity therein, and work towards your ONE Thing every day. Then, use the Focusing Question to identify what is most important in every moment and act on it.”
You can read more about it here.
4. Collection of my Favorites
Speaking of favorites, with the relaunch of my blogI’ve compelled a list of all of my favorite resources here.
The list includes my favorite books, podcasts, mentors and more. Take a look and don’t hesitate to share your favorite with me by replying to this email!
5. Some Thoughts on Finding your Purpose
Finding your purpose often is an iterative process.
You follow a path for a while, reach its destination and realize it wasn't the right one.
So, you follow a different path and repeat the process until you find the right path for you.
6. Acupressure Matt I’m Enjoying
Tim Ferriss recommended an acupressure matt to alleviate hip pain in one of his newsletters. Because his model wasn’t available in Germany, I’ve bought this one instead and I’m glad I did. It’s not nearly as painful as imagined and I use it regularly for a few minutes. I can’t confirm if it really alleviates hip or back pain yet, but it’s extremely relaxing - even after only a few minutes of use - and that’s enough for me.
7. Reading Recommendations
I’ve been reading a lot over the past few days. Here are some recommendations:
Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
I’m always looking for great books to read. If you can recommend any, let me know!
That’s it for this week! You’d do me a huge favor if you told me how you like the new format of the Meaningful Mail! I’m very eager to improve what’s good and fix what isn’t. So, please let me know your thoughts by replying to this email.
Until next week!
Waldi
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